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Course description

This qualification is designed for students who are interested in an introduction to the study of creating IT systems to manage and share information alongside other fields of study, with a view to progressing to a wide range of higher education courses,
not necessarily in IT.

Course content

The qualification is quite flexible in that it consists of three mandatory units and a further optional unit which would allow students to pursue particular areas of interest. The mandatory units are:

Unit 1 - Information Technology Systems(written exam 2 hours) (30%)
Students will explore the relationships between the hardware and software that form an IT system, theway systemswork individually and together as well asthe relationship between the user and the system. Students will examine issuesrelated to the use of IT systems
and the impact that these have on organisations and individuals, drawing on learning from across the programme to complete assessment tasks

Unit 2 - Creating Systems to Manage Information(task in supervised conditions marked by exam board 10 hrs) (28%)
Relational databases are widely used to manage and process data, in order to produce information to support many business processes as well as our own social lives. From the smallest in-house systems to stock control systems for large online retailers, databases
are repositories of information that are a significant part of organisational operating requirements. Students will examine the structure of data, its origins and how an efficient data design follows through to an effective and useful database. Students will
examine a given scenario and develop an effective design solution to produce a database system, before testing the solution to ensure it works correctly. Finally, students will evaluate each stage of the development process and the effectiveness of their database
solution.

Unit 3 - Using Social Media in Business (25%)
Social media websites are a popular way for people to communicate and share information with friends and family. As people spend so much time on social media websites, these sites provide many opportunities for businesses to interact with people for a variety
of purposes, including promoting their business, encouraging people to visit their e-commerce site and make purchases and providing customer service. In this unit, students will discover how social media can be used in a business context, by exploring different
social media websites, the ways in which they can be used and the potential pitfalls when using them for business purposes. Students will develop a plan to use social media strategies for business purposes to achieve specific aims and objectives and will then
implement the plan, developing and posting content and interacting with others. Finally, data will be collected on the business use of social media to review the effectiveness of the work carried out.

Unit 4 - Either Programming / Data Modelling or Website Development (17%)
The BTEC Extended Certificate is a two year course which is broadly equivalent to an A-level, although it is assessed mainly via coursework rather than examination. It can be combined with any other A-level or BTEC course and provides a solid foundation
for both further study or employment.

Entry requirements

There are a range of courses and pathways available to you at Durham Sixth Form Centre depending on your GCSE results and academic profile. In order to enrol with us as a student, you must have the minimum of 5 A*-C GCSE grades (or equivalent). In addition,
individual subjects have specific entry requirements, which will be discussed with you during the application and enrolment process. Students who do not achieve a grade C or above (or numerical equivalent) in GCSE English and/or mathematics will be required
to continue studying these subjects at Durham Sixth Form Centre.

If you do not meet our entry requirements but are still keen to study at Durham Sixth Form Centre, please contact us to discuss your options.

How to apply

If you want to apply for this course, you will need to contact Durham Sixth Form Centre directly.

Durham Sixth Form Centre is located in Durham City Centre next to Gala Square and Freeman’s Quay. We are a couple of minutes walk from both the bus station and the railway station. Our students enjoy having all of the city centre facilities, shops, restaurants, the city library, cinema and theatre on our doorstep. In the city itself, students find a host of lively cultural, social and educational advantages and facilities. The galleries, exhibitions, museums and book shops all play their part in enriching the student experience. A large public car-park is directly opposite and adjacent to Durham Sixth Form Centre’s main entrance.